Community consultation event on Newry Southern Relief Road.
The Department for Infrastructure is seeking views and providing information on the development of the design of the Newry Southern Relief Road, one of the planned infrastructure projects set out in the Belfast Region City Deal Heads of Terms.
This is a strategically important route that will connect the A1/N1 Belfast and Eastern Seaboard Corridor with the A2 and Northern Ireland’s second-largest port at Warrenpoint Harbour.
The scheme aims to provide a strategic transport link from the A1 Belfast-Dublin key transport corridor to the A2 Warrenpoint dual carriageway. The proposed link starts on the A2 Warrenpoint Road along the frontage of Greenbank Industrial Estate and crosses the Newry River and Canal just to the south Drumalane Quarry and then heads in a westerly direction towards the A1/ N1.
The event, which will include a public exhibition, will be held in the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, 1A Bank Parade, Newry, between 10.00am and 9.00pm on Wednesday 26 June and Thursday 27 June 2019.
The consultation and exhibition follows the recent community drop-in sessions. The Department’s aim during this stage of the scheme is to identify the environmental, engineering, economic and traffic advantages and disadvantages of the preferred route.
Announcing the event, Southern Divisional Roads Manager, Simon Richardson said: “We are undertaking this community consultation to further seek the views of the local community and other stakeholders to inform the next stage of the process, including the design. This consultation is part of a process that will leave us well placed to deliver the ambitions for the Belfast Region that were set out in the City Deal Heads of Terms.
“The route has the potential to improve significantly journey times and journey time reliability for strategic traffic between the A2 Warrenpoint Road and the A1/N1. It should also improve road safety and traffic congestion within Newry City centre by providing an alternative route to the A2 Warrenpoint road and associated port traffic. The scheme should improve accessibility to both Newry City and Warrenpoint Harbour and also support sustainable economic growth and employment within the area.”
The consultation offers an opportunity for the public and other stakeholders to engage with the Department for Infrastructure and members of the project team on the design of the preferred route as well as the development process, including preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Statutory Orders.
The public may make representations by letter, email, via the Department website at www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/newry-southern-relief-road-stage-3-community-consultation or by using feedback forms provided at the community consultation event.N
As devolved matters, new funding commitments in relation to infrastructure, tourism and regeneration in Northern Ireland will require the agreement of the Northern Ireland Executive.
The proposed infrastructure projects have been developed with the input of the relevant Northern Ireland Government Departments and take account of the assessed infrastructure priorities for the region.
Full business cases will be developed for these projects by the Department for Infrastructure. All funding will be subject to full business case approval. In due course, the Northern Ireland Executive will consider the proposals and set out their plans for investment in infrastructure, tourism and regeneration as part of the Belfast Region City Deal alongside the BRCD partners.
